The Heart's Way
by ChocoLov3r
Summary: After the defeat of the Red Death, the relationship between the Berkians and the dragons seem to be heading towards a positive direction. Then three mysterious ships decided to land on Berk, carrying an equally mysterious tribe. While juggling between hiding the dragons and trying to get said tribe to like dragons, will everything end up in disaster or...? (Reform Series: 1 of 5)
1. Chapter 1: Hide-and-Annihilate

**Hi all. So, this is a plot bunny that has superglued itself to my brain for the longest of times after reading hundreds of HTTYD fanfictions. Before this bunny decides to gnaw its way out of my head, I thought, what the heck, I'll just start writing it down. Currently, the bunny, whom I named Zombie because (s)he likes to chew on my brain, is still rampaging. Also, I'll like to add the fact that this is my first HTTYD fanfic ever. That's right, begin the sympathizing party :D! Cause, you know, I heard those were cool...**

**All jokes aside though, I hope you guys and gals will enjoy this story and chapter. The timeline is after HTTYD, but before Riders of Berk.**

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><p>Under the bright sun, everything is silent and still as a girl perched on top of an Deadly Nadder scans her surroundings with glacier colored eyes. While the girl surveys the sky, the Nadder cocks her head ever so slightly as she gazes downward into the ocean, immersed in her own vanity. Really, who could blame her? She's truly a beautiful creature with scales the same hue as her rider's eyes. Under the sunlight, they shimmer like sapphires, descending into sharp spikes jutting out of the Nadder's swaying tail. Along her flapping wings lay patches of yellow mixing with blue as they adjust to the changing dynamics of the wind. Above, a rogue breeze shifts the girl's choppy, blonde bangs as the teen spots the tip of a horned helmet disappearing behind a sea stack. The blonde smirks to herself and pats the Nadder on top of the head. Said dragon pulls herself away from her reflection and redirects her attention to the girl.<p>

"C'mon Stormfly. Looks like we found our first victim." Stormfly's rider points to the sea stack ahead and the Nadder complies obediently. The sooner Stormfly gets this done, the sooner she can get back to her reflection.

Behind the rock, a rather chubby boy shifts his eyes nervously as he bites his lower lip. Underneath, his Gronckle, a bulbous dragon dyed the color of the Earth, smiles happily with a pink tongue drooping out.

"Boo!"

"Wahh!" The boy screams, instinctively backing away from his right side. Seeing that the girl was laughing, he puts on a poorly made glare with hurt, and a tinge of fright, in his eyes.

"Don't do that Astrid! You know how much Meatlug and I don't appreciate it! Do we, girl?" Meatlug replies with a lick to the boy's face as she hovers out of hiding.

Astrid huffs out two more laughs before replying. "Sorry Fishlegs, but I couldn't help it. It was just so perfect."

She gives him an apologetic smile. "Look on the bright side, Fishlegs. Now you get to help me hunt down, Snotlout, the twins, and Hiccup."

Fishlegs perks up at the prospect of hunting down Snotlout and the twins, Tuffnut and Ruffnut. At the mention of Hiccup, however, he presses his index finger to his lips in contemplation.

"Hmm, Snotlout and the twins will be easy to find. Hiccup will be tricky though. He does ride a Night Fury after all."

Astrid nods in agreement. "Don't worry, we'll find him. Let's focus on Snotlout and the twins for now."

"_Hookfang_!"

Speak of Hel and she'll come, thought Astrid with a roll of her eyes. Astrid and Fishlegs turns to the direction of the voice. Instead of seeing the muscular boy they expected, a lone Monstrous Nightmare, alight in flames, stares back at them aloofly.

"Guys? A little help here?!" This time the voice came from the ocean itself. Readjusting their gazes, the two teens spots a figure drifting in the waters.

"Nah, you look good wet Snotlout." replies Astrid.

"Guys, come on!" Sure, it's an unusually warm day, as warm as it could get on Berk anyway, but the icy water is still unforgiving in temperature.

Astrid raises an amused brow. Was that a look of pleading in his blue eyes? With one last savoring look at the helpless form of the usually arrogant teen, Astrid reluctantly flies Stormfly down. She extends a hand, to which Snotlout gladly takes, and pulls him up behind her. Brushing his wet and matted down black hair from his eyes, Snotlout grins at Astrid.

"So, beautiful, you here often?"

Astrid fake gags to Fishlegs, whom stifles a laugh, as Snotlout remounts back onto the now flameless Hookfang.

"So, how did you end up in the ocean anyway?" ask Fishlegs.

Snotlout makes an exasperated expression. "Well, duh, obviously because I wanted to go for a swim."

"Really, 'cuz I thought Hookfang set you on fire and then threw you off?"

The trio turns around, meeting with the blond Thorston twins riding their Hideous Zippleback, a green spotted dragon with two heads. Snotlout splutters indignantly.

"What? No! Hookfang didn't throw me off, I jumped off!"

Astrid chuckles, noticing how Snotlout just contradicted himself in going for a swim.

"Oh," replies Tuffnut, "That makes sense."

"Still lit you on fire though." Ruffnut adds. The twins exchange snickers and a high five as Snotlout huffs and glares at them.

"Um, aren't you two supposed to be hiding?" comments Fishlegs.

Tuffnut gives Fishlegs a confused look. "We were? I thought we were watching Hookfang throw Snotlout into the ocean?" Ruffnut nods her head in agreement.

"I jumped off!"

Astrid sighs, slightly irritated at the twins lack of ability to follow directions. After all, this is hide-and-annihilate; hide is in the name for Thor's sake. "Well, less work for me I guess. Now there's only Hiccup left."

Where could he be hiding? They're currently flying in the middle of the ocean, the nearest land miles away, excluding Berk which is off limits. Sure, there are sea stacks big enough to hide a person and dragon, but she had already checked them, the last one housing Fishlegs and Meatlug. Could they be beneath the water? Don't think so. There's no way Hiccup could hold his breath that long even if Toothless could. That leaves only one place left.

Astrid shakes her head with a smile. "Oh, Hiccup, so predictable."

With that said, Stormfly flies towards the clouds. Just as she disappears behind them, a dark blur exits and stops beside the other teens. The new comer, a scrawny brunet with olive green eyes, mimics Astrid and shakes his head.

"Astrid, so predictable."

"Or am I?"

Hiccup turns around and comes face to face with Astrid. He gives her a sheepish grin.

"Well, hello there Astrid." Hiccup replies, grateful that he didn't stutter. As the friendship between the two blossomed, Hiccup grew more comfortable around her to the point where his stuttering gradually became tamed. Albeit, butterflies still flutter in his stomach sometimes when she talks to or smiles at him. Hiccup still wouldn't dare call their relationship as the girlfriend-boyfriend type though, even if, technically, she had already kissed him. On the lips. That's a thought for another day.

Astrid grins in victory. Truth be told, it was complete luck that she spotted the fading crimson of Toothless's artificial tail at the last second. Of course, she's not going to tell Hiccup that.

Hiccup clears his throat. "So, everyone, how was the first official game of hide-and-annihilate on drag-" His eyes land on Snotlout and blinks once. "Snotlout. Why are you wet?"

"He wanted to go for a swim and Hookfang helped him." Astrid replies sarcastically.

"...Right."

"Ugh, can we just go back already?" complains Snotlout, barely containing his shivers. Ice cold water plus a windy breeze equals a very freezing Snotlout. Hiccup, noticing this, nods an affirmative. Snotlout may not be his favorite person in the Archipelago, but he isn't about to let his cousin, who battled alongside him against the Red Death, freeze to death.

Hiccup pats Toothless's scaly head to which the Night Fury acknowledges with a hum.

"Come on, bud. Let's go home."

Toothless gurgles in agreement and flaps his wings to pick up more air. Just as the riders start to head back towards Berk, Hiccup shivers as he feels a gaze behind him. Instinctively, he turns his head only to be met with the vast emptiness of the sea. Hiccup rubs his nape with his left hand subconsciously.

"Hiccup? What's wrong?" Astrid asks with a worried tone when she noticed that he was lagging behind. He stares for another second before shaking his head.

"It's nothing." Probably just my imagination, thought Hiccup.

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><p>"Hey Hiccup."<p>

"Welcome back Hiccup!"

"Hello Hiccup!"

It's weird how one can change from the runt of the litter to the hero of the tribe in just one day. Well, at least it's weird to Hiccup. He's used to disappointed stares and nasty scowls, not pats on the back and happy greetings. Yup. Life on Berk sure has changed for one Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.

"Ah, son!"

Speaking of changes, walking away from the port, a large redhead makes his way up to Hiccup. If there is one word to describe Stoick the Vast, it'll be, well, vast. Literally; from his gigantic stature to his enormous braided beard, nothing about this man, not even his personality, screams small.

"Hey dad."

Despite being father and son, however, the only physical similarity Stoick and Hiccup share would be their jaded eyes. This very lack of bodily alikeness was the main cause of the drift in their relationship pre-Red Death. The sarcasm and the invention mishaps came later.

Stopping in front of Hiccup, Stoick stares at the Night Fury beside his son and gives an nod of acknowledgement.

"Toothless."

Said dragon grunts in reply. Hiccup directs his attention to the two. Honestly, the boy has no idea what happened between the elusive dragon and the ex-dragon slayer while he was in his coma, but, when he woke up, they had already shared a sense of understanding. On what grounds though, who knows?

"So," Stoick shifts nervously, "How was your day?"

Hiccup would have smiled fondly at his dad's attempt to get to know him better, as compared to previous attempts, which was zero, if it wasn't so painfully awkward.

Hiccup unconsciously rubs his upper arm. "Oh, you know, good."

Stoick nods a little too rapidly. "Good, good."

A silence ensues. The Night Fury between the two huffs in annoyance as he lays down onto his paws. Toothless has been with them long enough to know that this is going to be long and painful process.

"...We played hide-and-annihilate today?" comments Hiccup, more of an unsure question rather than a statement.

"Oh yes, good ol' hide-and-annihilate."

"..."

"..."

"Stoick!"

Hiccup exclaims inside. Oh thank Odin!

Stoick, seemingly relieved as well, turns to the approaching Vikings. In the lead is a man similar to Fishlegs in figure, but he's much older with brown hair and eyes. Behind him, a tall, robust blond with a bucket on his head stumbles along.

"What is it Mulch, Bucket?"

The shorter of the two, Mulch, replies instantly.

"Well, me and Bucket here were out fishing as usual when we spotted ships in the distance."

"Three ships! Three ships!"

Mulch nods. "Right, three ships and they're definitely bigger than any fishing boat I've ever seen."

"Three bad ships near Berk!"

"Bad ships?" Stoick's face contorts into confusion before turning into that of seriousness. "Are they enemy ships?"

Mulch scratches his head. "Well, no, I don't think so. They're more like worn out ships, but I guess they can also be call bad ships."

"Worn out? As in abandoned? Are there people on board?" Hiccup inquires.

Mulch turns to Hiccup. "I don't know. We weren't close enough to check, but it looks like the ships are heading straight for Berk."

"Hmm," contemplates Stoick before his sight lands on Toothless, "Hiccup, can you hide the dragons?"

Hiccup splutters, eyes widening comically.

"W-What?! Why?"

Stock sighs. He knew it was going to be like this.

"Hiccup, son, I know how you feel about this since we've just made peace with the dragons, but think of the bigger picture. If there are people on board of those ships, they're either going to be friendly or aggressive."

Hiccup slumps, knowing where his father is going with this.

"If they're aggressive, then having dragons would only incite their anger and put the dragons themselves in danger. If they're friendly, they might not be after seeing the dragons. They could either turn defensive or aggressive, and both could lead to battle."

Hiccup gazes back at Stoick with determined eyes that are steadily losing in resolve.

"This is for the good of Berk Hiccup, and, believe it or not, for the good of the dragons too."

Hiccup looks away with his arms folded against his chest. He sees his father's point, sure. That doesn't mean he has to like it.

"Fine." He gets out before walking away, Toothless following faithfully beside him.

"It'll only be temporary!" Stoick yells to the disappearing figure. He then runs a hand across his face.

Stoick hates to be the one who puts such a devastated look on his son's face, but he isn't just a father, he's also a chief. He has to do what's good for the village, which includes his son and now the dragons, even if it means making the hard decisions. Stoick hopes that Hiccup will understand.

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><p><strong>This concludes chapter one! How was it, good, bad, meh?<strong>

**As I said (or written, whatever) before, this is my first HTTYD fanfic, so I'm sort of insecure about the characters personalities. You'll do me a big favor if you can give me some feedback about whether or not I'm on track for their responses and behaviors. Feedback on the story itself would be wonderful too.**

**So, review, favorite, follow, and all of those things I'm sure you've heard a million times before. Also, I accept flames as long as their constructive and within a safe perimeter. We need to contain forest fires.**

**Onward to chapter two, Zombie!**


	2. Chapter 2: Dragons Are Loyal

**I don't know if anybody has noticed, but for my story I'm using (or at least trying) present tenses. This is because when I had my friend proofread the story, she pointed it out. Every. Single. Sentence. So, yeah, I'm using or trying to use the present tense in this story. My main point for this monologue is that if the writing is weird due to this, please tell me! I'm still very much used to writing in past tense.**

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><p>Hiccup sighs as he kicks a pebble aside. He understands. Of course he understands. It's just that the war between Vikings and dragons is <em>finally<em> over after three hundred years of bloodshed. Now, every time a tribe decides to visit are they just going to hide their dragons again and again and again? No. Sooner or later the other tribes will find out, and when they do Hiccup will be there to show them how misunderstood the dragons are or die trying. Hopefully he would never have to get to the latter.

For now, he needs to hide the dragons. How exactly is he suppose to hide the dragons anyway?

"Life is unfair, isn't it Toothless?"

Said dragon croons sadly at his human. Admittedly, the Night Fury was going to devise an ingenious plan to escape from hiding and continue protecting Hiccup, but the thought of them separating, even temporarily, is still upsetting.

Toothless butts his head against Hiccup's leg as if to say "Don't worry!".

The teen smiles and scratches Toothless under the chin. Purrs and whimpers of bliss emits from the dragon at the gesture.

"Thanks, bud."

"What's with the gloomy face, Hiccup?"

The face of one Astrid Hofferson appears in his view. Behind her, the rest of the dragon riders look at Hiccup with the same inquisitive expression.

"Yeah, you look like Barf just barfed in your helmet." comments Tuffnut.

Said Zippleback looks absolutely offended, but it's Ruffnut who acts in his defense. Basically, she punches Tuffnut on the cheek and sends him flying to the ground.

"Cool, I'm seeing stars. Do that again!"

"Gladly." Ruffnut cackles.

Hiccup ignores the twin's antic and focuses his attention on Astrid. Might as well get the bad news over with.

"Dad said that I have to hide the dragons."

Astrid gasps.

"Wh-" she begins.

"What?! Why?" only to be cut off by Snotlout, whose eyes widen in panic.

Wow, déjà vu.

The gang openly gapes at Snotlout's concern. Even the twins stop their fighting in favor of giving him the who-are-you-and-what-did-you-do-to-Snoutlout stare. Catching himself too late, Snotlout deflects.

"Uh, I mean, not that I'm worried or anything. Hookfang is so clingy, there's no way he can survive a day without me!"

Hookfang bites down on Snotlout, engulfing him into his mouth.

"See?"

Astrid rolls her eyes.

"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, why are we hiding the dragons?"

Hiccup thinks back to the conversation, well, more like he listened and Stoick talked, and pulls a face.

"Mulch and Bucket saw some ships coming towards Berk. My dad's afraid that the dragons will freak them out, so he ask me to hide them as a precaution."

"Do we have to? I've just gotten to known Meatlug better." Fishleg proceeds to hug the Gronckle with a sad look. Astrid pets Stormfly on the head.

"Yea, I've just gotten to know Stormfly too..."

The twins look at their dragon solemnly.

"Barf..."

"Belch..."

Snotlout looks away, feigning indifference, but it isn't hard to pick how his eyes keep shifting back to Hookfang or how his brow hunches in worry. Hiccup slumps his shoulders in despair. Did his dad feel as bad as he's feeling right now when he told Hiccup the news?

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry guys. This..." His dad's words come to mind. "This is for the good of both Berk and the dragons. If the visitors are aggressive then the dragons might get hurt in the crossfire."

"Ha," Snotlout spats, "Me and Hookfang can take them on any day!"

"Hookfang and I." clarifies Fishlegs.

"Whatever!"

It's now Hiccups turn to roll his eyes, a sarcastic comment on the edge of his tongue.

"Gee, Snotlout, why haven't I thought of that?"

"I know right?" agrees Snotlout, "Pfft, and you're suppose to be the smart one."

Hiccup pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"No, Snotlout. We need to get them to see that the dragons are good. Attacking them with said dragons will pretty much defeat the whole purpose."

Astrid pets Stormfly a while longer before turning to Hiccup.

"You must feel really bad right now, huh? I mean, out of all of us, you and Toothless have known each other the longest."

Hiccup looks at Toothless and Toothless gazes back.

"Yea..."

A somber silence envelops the group before Astrid speaks up again.

"So, what should we do?"

Hiccup looks at her in shock.

"H-Huh? Do what?"

Astrid raises a brow.

"Hide the dragons?"

Shock turns into flabbergast.

"Wait, you guys are going to help me?"

The teens flinch, with the exception of Snotlout, at Hiccup's dumbfound tone. Surely, it's not that hard to believe that they want to help him, right? Ok, so they weren't the nicest people to him...Fine, they treated him like dirt, but they've changed since then and they want to show him that. Astrid especially.

"Well, I did say we didn't I, dragon boy?"

"About that," said Snotlout as he turns his back to them, "Me and Hookfang-"

"Hookfang and I."

"Shut up, Fishlegs! Me and Hookfang have something to do, so, bye."

Astrid crosses her arms and glares a hole into the back of Snotlout's head.

"Really, Snotlout?! Hiccup saved Berk, and that includes you, from the Red Death. If it wasn't for him, you would have never met Hookfang either! Are you seriously just going to walk away right now?"

"..." Snotlout turns back around and walks straight to Hiccup with a scowl.

"This does not mean we're friends."

Hiccup grins. "I wouldn't dare think of it, Snotlout."

Things really had changed, thought Hiccup. The old Snotlout wouldn't even have considered helping Hiccup out in any way.

"Okay gang, here's what we'll do. We're going to round up all the dragons on Berk and send them to Dragon Island. Snotlout and Fishlegs, you guys are in charge of the Nightmares and Gronckles. Ruff, Tuff, you guys will round up the Zipplebacks and Terrors. Astrid, you and I will take the Nadders and are going to make sure there's no dragon left behind."

They all nod and mount their dragons.

"Hopefully we'll get the dragons out before the ships arrive."

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><p>Getting the dragons to leave Berk was as hard as Hiccup expected, the Terrible Terrors especially. For some unknown reason, they really hate Tuffnut. Everytime he approached one, the dragon would sneer and bite his nose, much to Ruffnut's pleasure.<p>

"Is that all of them?" Hiccup asks.

The dragon riders are currently right above Dragon Island, scanning for any drifters. Behind them, the sky is starting to turn an orange hue.

"Yup, I think that's all of them." replies Astrid.

Hiccup nods. "Right, let's head back."

Just as they were midway to Berk, Fishlegs spots shapes in the distance.

"Um, Hiccup, by any chance are there three ships coming to Berk?"

Hiccup stops Toothless midflight.

"Actually, yea. How do you know that?"

Fishlegs raises a shaky finger westward.

"B-Because I see three ships!"

Hiccup's eyes widen and directs his gaze towards the direction of the chubby teen's finger. Indeed, there are three ships.

"Quick, get above the clouds!"

The teens obey without hesitation.

"We need to get back to Berk as soon as possible. Then we need to tell the dragons to fly back to Dragon Island."

"Aw," Fishlegs complains, "Do we have to?"

"Sorry Fishlegs."

A few minutes later, the dragon riders safely lands on Berk. They dismount their respective dragons and said their individual goodbyes.

Astrid exhales. "I'll miss you, Stormfly."

Fishlegs hugs Meatlug. "Daddy will see you soon girl."

Tuffnut pats Belch in the head. "Stay cool. Heh, cool. Get it? Fire brea-"

The Hideous Zippleback rolls their eyes before Ruffnut shoves Tuffnut into the ground.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot." Ruffnut then whispers to Barf.

"Just so you know, you're in charge."

Barf grins to himself in satisfaction while Belch casts his brother a curious glance.

Snotlout smiles at Hookfang. "Show the other dragons who's boss!"

Simultaneously, the teens takes a step back. Their dragons croon in both sadness and confusion. What are their humans doing? Astrid takes the initiative.

"Go on Stormfly! Fly to Dragon Island!"

Stormfly squawks. Well, obviously, she knows that, but why? Astrid furrows her brow.

"Come on Stormfly, we'll see each other again."

Astrid pushes the Nadder gently. Stormfly croons once more before taking a step back and reluctantly fly flies away. The other dragons follow her example, each with a croon of their own before flying away.

The young Vikings watch as their dragons disappear in the distance.

"Man, this sucks rocks." said Snotlout.

"I know," agrees Fishlegs, "I miss Meatlug already."

Yea, nope. There's no way Hiccup's dad felt as bad as Hiccup does right now. Ruffnut narrows her eyes at Toothless.

"Wait, what about your dragon?"

"Toothless? He can't fly without me so telling him to fly to Dragon Island is out of the question. I was thinking of hiding him in the Cove."

"What's the cove?" asks Tuffnut.

"Wait, is it the place where I first found you and Toothless before you guys kidnapped me?"

The teens give Hiccup and Astrid a bewildered look.

"Wait. Who kidnapped who now?" questions Snotlout.

Hiccup rolls his eyes at Astrid.

"First of all, you followed me. Second of all, we did not kidnap you. I distinctively remember you getting on Toothless on your own."

"Yea, after you two had me dangling from a three story tree."

Hiccup opens his mouth to argue, only to have no comeback.

"...Point taken, but that was the dragon's idea."

Okay, maybe one comeback. Toothless whacks Hiccup on the head with his tail. Astrid looks on unimpressed.

"Uh-huh."

"What? It was!"

"Um, guys, the cove?"

As interesting as this is, it really is, someone needs to keep the group on track. Usually it would be Hiccup and then Astrid, but they're currently out of the question, so the task is given to Fishlegs. Hiccup coughs into his fist before turning around so that he could face the rest of the teens.

"Right, the Cove! Well the Cove-"

Hiccup stops mid-sentence with his mouth hanging open.

_Squawk_

Great, Astrid misses Stormfly so much that she's starting to hear voices, or squawks in this case.

"Hiccup you're going to catch flies." comments Astrid.

"Squawk!"

Astrid's eyes widen. No, it couldn't be...could it?

"Stormfly?"

She turns around. The Nadder, glad to finally have her human's attention, flaps her wings happily before giving another squawk.

It totally could.

"Stormfly!"

Without warning, Astrid practically flies to her dragon and attacks her with a hug. The other dragon riders, upon noticing that their dragons are also there, proceeds to do the same thing.

"Meatlug! I miss you so much, girl!"

"Barf!"

"Belch!"

"Hookfang! Uh, I mean, Hookfang, bad dragon! Why did you come back?"

"Yea," breathes Astrid, "Why did they?"

Hiccup smiles at the scene in front of him before looking at Toothless.

"Well, dragons are loyal creatures."

Toothless gives Hiccup a gummy smile.

"Wait! Where are we going to hide the dragons? I mean, I'm happy that Meatlugs back, but the ships could come at any moment now."

Hiccup gives a sideways grin.

"Look like you're going to have some Cove-mates, bud."

Toothless grunts in displeasure.

* * *

><p>After the dragon riders drop their dragons at the Cove, and with Hiccup promising to get Toothless an extra large basket of fish tomorrow, they start to head to the port.<p>

"I wonder what they'll be like?" Fishlegs asks.

"Pfft, I bet that their just a wimpy bunch of sissys." replies Snotlout.

"Or maybe they're gigantic Vikings with two heads and four arms!" exclaims Tuffnut.

"With a battle axe on each!" exclaims Ruffnut.

Hiccup silently laughs to himself.

"Good to see ye could make it lad."

Gobber greets the young heir as Hiccup walks up just behind him, Stoick, and Spitelout. The rest of the teens stray a few feet away.

"Hey Gobber, Spitelout, dad."

Stoick sighs in relief, glad to see that Hiccup didn't hold a grudge at the whole hiding the dragons thing.

"You're just in time, Hiccup!"

Hiccup was about to ask what he was in time for when a large shadow looms over him. The shadow of a ship to be precise. As the ship comes to a halt, accompanied by the sound of squeaking wood and whooshing seawater, a dead silence overwhelms the inhabitants of Berk. Then, like a flash of lighting cutting through the sky, a deep voice bellows out.

"HELLO! We are the Jolly Islanders and we come in peace!"

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><p><strong>Yay, my first cliffhanger! Uh, I mean, BOO cliffhanger.<strong>

**Ok, so this chapter has some major foreshadowing for future Reform fics *wink wink*. Also, I'm currently looking for a beta (if someone could explain to me the process that'll be great too). Preferably a grammar Nazi because I'm not good with grammar, but whether you are one or not, if you're interested please don't feel shy :).**

**Stay tune for the next epi- er, chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3: Meet The Jolly Islanders

**Note: Chapter 3 and 4 were originally supposed to be one chapter, but it was too long; about 14 or 15 pages. So I divided them into 2 chapters. Enjoy.**

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><p>"HELLO! We are the Jolly Islanders and we come in peace!"<p>

The Berkians look to each other in confusion. Jolly Islanders? Never heard of them. Just as they thought of that, a figure appears from the ship.

"Hello, I am Baldr, chief of the Jolly Islanders. May I ask who is in charge of this island?"

The man, Baldr, is definitely a well built man. He may not be as vast as Stoick, but he's lean with broad shoulders and muscular arms and legs. His short black hair is messily braided into a low ponytail that reaches just below his nape and on his chin is a goatee. Both are laden with white streaks either due to old age or something else entirely. Despite all these features so unbecoming of an traditional Viking, the most stunning part about this man is his eyes. They are a different shade of blue from Astrid. Where hers are like that of glaciers, his are like that of a mirror; a fading blue to the point where it almost looks white, piercing and reflective.

"I am Stoick the Vast, chief of Berk. Tell me, Baldr, what brings you here?"

Baldr grimaces.

"What you ask? Dragons of course! The beasts raided us out of our home in Silent Hill, an island north of your humble village of Berk. Now we are searching for a new home to settle down."

Ouch. Boy is Hiccup glad that his dad told him to hide the dragons now.

"Are you looking for settlement on Berk then?"

Baldr shakes his head.

"No, no, we're not going to intrude. We simply ask that you allow us to stay until we are able to replenish our food and water supply. If possible, we want to fix our ships as well before the next sail. The sea is a merciless mistress, after all. Never know when we'll stumble onto another island again."

Stoick nods in understanding. The sea can be frightful when she wants to be, and not to mention Baldr has to guide an entire village through its unpredictable demeanor.

"That can be arranged," Stoick smiles, "For now, welcome to Berk, Baldr and the Jolly Islanders!"

The Berkians erupt into cheers. They don't often get visitors, especially friendly ones. Bladr laughs joyfully at the warm welcome before facing the ship.

"Valkyrie!"

"Got it, chief." came a voice from the ship just as a flaming arrow launches into the sky.

"She's signaling to my people that that this place is safe and that they can come," assures Baldr, "I wasn't sure if Berk was aggressive. Better safe than sorry, am I right?"

Now that he mentions it, Baldr's ship is the only one on port. The other two must still be some distance away.

"Of course!" agrees Stoick. "We both have our people to protect."

Baldy grins.

"Speaking of people, since you are offering us your hospitality, I should introduce you to my son and daughter. Alfre, Freyja! Come greet chief Stoick!"

The first to appear is a female with the same color hair, minus the white strands, and eyes as Baldr. She walks toward them with purpose in each step, loose hair swinging with every movement. Her eyes are dead set on Stoick, unwavering as if in battle, but tainted with a hint of haughtiness and arrogance that stems from a high ego. Dangling from the belt of her blue pelted tunic is a mace, presumably her weapon of choice.

She stops and stands next to her father. Like her father, she is well built. Her arms show the traces of budding muscles behind her and she seems to be a inch or two taller than Astrid.

"Hello, chief Stoick. I am Freyja, daughter of Baldr." she says with her arms folded behind her back.

Another figure follows her from behind, a male this time, the same height as Freyja. Instead of black hair, he has short dirty blond hair, and instead of piercing sky blue eyes, they're the hue of sapphires. If he has any muscle like Baldr and Freyja, then they're hidden behind the long sleeves of his blue tunic.

He stands next to Freyja with less authority and more rigidity in his posture. His eyes doesn't meet with Stoick much unlike Freyja.

"And I'm Alfre, son of Baldr."

Hiccup feels sympathetic for the son. Sure, Alfre is much more confident than Hiccup before the Red Death incident, but watching Alfre next to Freyja reminds Hiccup of himself. Stoick smiles.

"Now it's my turn for the introductions. To my left is Gobber the Belch, my brother in arms. On my right is Spitelout, my younger brother and second in command."

Stoick then ushers Hiccup forward with a grin.

"And this is my son and heir, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

The three newcomers direct their gazes to Hiccup as he steps forward. A sharp gasp is heard.

"This-This is your son?" questions Baldr shakily.

Both Hiccup and Stoick frowns. All three Islanders has on shock filled faces with eyes as wide as saucers. Heck, Alfre's jaws is slack open and even the seemingly cool Freyja has her mouth agape. Is it that hard to believe that Hiccup is Stoick the Vast's son?

"Yes, he is. Is there a problem?" challenges Stoick.

He may not have been the best father to Hiccup, but there is no way that he's going to let them belittle their blood relation.

Alfre shakes his head slowly as a negative, mouth still wide open. Freyja, whom seems to have regained her composure, gently elbows him to close his mouth. Just as she did so, Freyja steals a glance at Hiccup. He accidentally meets her gaze, but instead of turning away at being caught, she takes one look into his eyes and glares harshly. Hiccup is taken aback. What's her problem?

Compared to Freyja, Alfre is much less aggressive. Just invasive. Very much invasive. Although his eyes went back to their normal size and his mouth is shut, the shocked expression in his face is still very much obvious. He's inspecting Hiccup from head to toe, not in the scrutinizing kind of way, but in the confused, is-this-real kind of way.

"No, of course not! It's just that...they look so similar..."

Freyja smirks and mumbles something under her breath. Alfre scowls at whatever the comment was and elbows Freyja in the ribs. She barely reacts to the assault.

Okay, now Hiccup is definitely confused. Judging from the curious looks on Stoick, Gobber, and Spitelout, so are they.

"Who are ye talking about, chief Baldr?" asks Gobber.

"Va-"

"Chief, the remaining ships have made it to port!" calls the same voice from when the arrow was shot.

"Okay, unload the ships!"

With a smile, Baldr shakes his head.

"Well, I guess you'll see soon enough." Baldr swings an arm around Stoick's shoulder.

"So, chief Stoick, how about you show me around Berk?"

Stoick huffs out a deep laugh.

"Just call me Stoick."

The two chiefs left after that. Gobber said his goodbye right after and went back to the smithy while Spitelout, along with some Berkians, went to help the Islanders unpack. Hiccup rubs his nape.

"So..."

Freyja folds her arms and ignores him, disconnecting any eye contact. Okay, not going to get anywhere there. Man, this is awkward.

"So, what's with the missing leg? How did you lose it?"

Hiccup turns to Alfre, startled. Freyja was so intimidating that Hiccup almost forgot Alfre was even there. Said girl notices the metal leg for the first time and gave it a look of interest. Vikings and their fascination with missing limbs. Great.

Hiccup wiggles his metal leg. "This old thing? Oh, you know, lost it doing the usual, uh, Viking...stuff?"

"No, we don't know. Do tell." Freyja pressures. So she's not above talking to him. First good news Hiccup heard all day.

Alfre grins excitedly. "Yea! Did you lose it during a raid? Did your enemy cut it off with a battleaxe or smash it to pieces with a war hammer?"

Funny, Alfre seemed so nervous and tense when Hiccup first met him. Now that the Stoick and Baldr were gone, he's like a whole new person; more confident, cheerful, and blunt, but also a bit gory. Alfre smirks. A little arrogant too it seems.

"Or maybe you lost it against a dragon?"

Hiccup almost chokes.

"W-What? D-Dragons? Ha, that's a good one! Haha..."

Freyja snickers. It's easy to see what she's thinking; there's no way this toothpick full of nerves can even survive against a dragon. Alfre shrugs.

"You never know, it's possible."

Hiccup laughs nervously. Not even five minutes and he's already close to exposing the big secret.

"Ahem."

Astrid approaches the trio with a "innocent" smile on her face, the rest of the riders beside her as she stands next to Hiccup. Freyja raises one brow and Alfre raises both.

"And who are you?" challenges Freyja.

Hiccup begins to say something, but Astrid cuts him off.

"I'm Astrid Hofferson."

She then points to each teen.

"That's Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut. We're Hiccup's friends."

Freyja smirks. "_Really?_"

Astrid smirks back with her arms folded. "_Really._"

Astrid had stayed back and watched as Hiccup interacted with the siblings. The brother didn't seem so bad, but the sister ticked Astrid off. She had enough of watching her treat Hiccup as if he was a bug. Frankly, it was bringing back shameful memories for her.

Alfre leans toward Hiccup and whispers, "Your girlfriend is intense. Not many people can go head to head with Freyja."

Hiccup blushes. "W-What? She's not-we're not-!"

At the outburst, everyone turns to Hiccup and Alfre. Hiccup becomes even redder at their attention. Alfre decides to give him a break and introduces himself.

"Hey, I'm Alfre and this is my older sister Freyja."

The teens give their own greetings to Alfre. Astrid gives him a smile before glaring at Freyja. She glares back. Oblivious to the hostile tension between the two, Snotlout strides up to Freyja and winks.

"Hey beautiful, how about me and you ditch this place and I could show you around Berk?"

Freyja rolls her eyes with a grimace.

"Not even if you're the last Viking in the entire Archipelago."

Snotlout grins, unaffected by the glower in her tone. "You're saying that now, but once you get a taste of the snot machine, you'll be asking for more, babe."

He flexes his biceps and kisses them. Freyja's right eye twitches as she moves in to punch him, but before she could, a shout rings through the air.

"Runaway yak!"

All the teens snap to attention.

"Where, where?!" the twins chant excitedly. Finally, some mayhem!

Right in front of the them is the side body of a raging yak with wide eyes that exhibit a mix of craziness and fury. Despite its short limbs, the beast is charging fast enough to create a dust trail as it stampedes towards the-

"Kids!"

Right in front of the yak's path is a cluster of children too petrified to scatter. At that, the young Vikings move into action.

"Too-!" Hiccup calls only to stop mid-word at the realization that his best friend isn't there.

Astrid instinctively reaches for her battleaxe while Freyja grabs her mace. Both females raise their arms and aims for the yak, but something else reaches it first; an arrow. The unexpected projectile slices through the air with a whoosh as it penetrates the dark hide of the rampaging yak. The creature lets out a wrenching groan before hitting the floor, silent. Hiccup and the gang gapes at the dead yak in shock.

"W-What just happened?" questions Fishlegs.

The Berk teens all simultaneously shake their heads in a no idea gesture. Freyja hooks her mace onto her belt, looking as if this is the most normal thing ever.

"Alfre?" said Hiccup, hoping to get an explanation. None came. Alfre's attention is directed towards the ship, his awe-stricken eyes focusing solely on one person. The gang follows his gaze and gasps.

"No way..." Tuffnut and Ruffnut said.

"I-Is that who I think it is?" Fishlegs asks.

"What?! No, that's not possible, he's right here!" Astrid proclaims.

Hiccup, himself, is at a lost for words.

"Oh yea, then who's that?!" Snotlout shouts.

All eyes fixate on the lone figure standing on top of the ship's railing. From the curves, the figure is clearly a she, adorning a brown tunic that reaches to her ankles. At the sides of her hind limbs, a cut slits the tunic open, freeing her legs, covered by black leggings, to the open air. What stopped the teens in their tracks, however, is her face; a face that looks like Hiccup's. Her eyes has the same olive coloration and the same almond shape. She has the same thin lips and the same earth colored hair, the exception being that hers is longer and braided into a ponytail.

The unnamed girl sheaths her wooden bow into her quiver and jumps down from the railing to the port. She rushes towards the kids who grins at the sight of her despite almost being trampled by a yak. The riders faze out of their gridlock when Alfre starts to walk towards her, nervously fixing his hair and tunic along the way. He seems to have reverted back to his timid composure from before.

"To answer your question, that's Valkyrie. She's also the reason why we were so...surprised." enlightens Freyja. "Don't ask me why they look alike, I don't know."

"Wow, evil twin!" Tuffnut backs away from Ruffnut with an disgusted face. "Get away from me you minion of Hel!"

Ruffnut growls and pounces, successfully tackling her twin to the ground. Freyja looks at them as if they're crazy.

"They're always like that, don't worry." informs Hiccup.

"I wasn't."

Hiccup wonders what's colder, Berk or Freyja? At least they got past the ignoring stage.

"Ok, so she's 'Valkyrie', but why is Alfre walking towards her with a stupid look on his face?" Astrid inquires.

Freyja smirks. Alfre had just attempted to talk to Valkyrie, the key word being attempted. From the way he rubs his nape, the shuffling of his feet, and the puzzled expression on Valkyrie's face, the conversation was obviously going nowhere.

"Well, she is his fiancé."

* * *

><p><strong>I just want you guys to know that Valkyrie is NOT Hiccup's sister or long lost twin. NO. But then, what relationship do they share, if any? Hmm. Continue to the next chapter for the continuation. Thank you :).<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Just to Say Thank You

**Continuation of the previous chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Well, she is his fiancé."<p>

...

"WHAT?!"

Alfre awkwardly waves goodbye to Valkyrie as he stumbles back to the group, almost tripping in the process. She gives him an unsure smile before talking to an Islander that's warning the children to be careful. He sighs in defeat.

"Su-" Hiccup coughs to get rid of the high pitch in his voice, "So, your, uh, fiancé?"

Alfre nods.

"Seriously?" Snotlout punctuates ridiculously.

Alfre glares at him. "Yes. Why? Do you have a problem with that, Snotface?"

Snotlout's face contorts into anger. "What did you say to me?"

Astrid shoves Snotlout to aside. "What he means is that she and Hiccup just look so alike."

Ruffnut pipes up. "Wait, does this mean you like like Hiccup too?"

Hiccup and Alfre scatter away from each other with squeamish faces.

"No, they're nothing alike! Valkyrie is so much prettier; she doesn't have a buckteeth or freckles, and she's definitely not scrawny! She's brave, strong, and true to her heart!" Alfre rants.

"Thanks for summing that up."

"Uh, no offense?"

Too late for that.

"Whatever," Snotlout scoffs, "If she looks like Hiccup, then she's no big deal. You've got to be such a wimp to fail in flirting with her."

Alfre sneers at him. "Like you can do better. Valkyrie isn't the easy type of girl."

Seeing the statement as a challenge, Snotlout grins with a smug expression.

"Oh yeah?" With that said, Snotlout strides up to Valkyrie.

"Are you sure it's ok for him to flirt with your fiancé?" Fishlegs ask.

Both Freyja and Alfre smirks.

"Yup, I'm pretty sure."

Not even a second later, the teens stare wide eyed as Valkyrie scowls and decks Snotlout right in the nose. The force of the impact sends him flying straight into the water for the second time that day. Freyja and Alfre share amused glances.

"She's awesome!" Tuffnut and Ruffnut shouts, with their arms fisted high in the air. Just as quickly, Valkyrie's head whips to them. Hiccup flinches while Fishlegs legs start to shake, both afraid that she's coming after them next. This Valkyrie person seems less and less like Hiccup every minute, notes all the riders. She calmly walks up to them with a poker face that gives way to a smile as she stands before the group. Valkyrie waves with her right hand and scans the lot.

"Hey, we haven't met yet, but I'm Valkyrie. It's nice to..." she trails off when her sight lands on Hiccup, "...meet you...all?"

Valkyrie then turns her flabbergasted expression to Freyja, silently demanding an explanation. Freyja shakes her head.

"Don't know, don't ask."

"Yea, we're a little freaked out too." Astrid comments.

"Glad that we're all on the same boat then." Valkyrie follows up. She then stares at Hiccup, whom fidgets under her intense gaze, before she opens her mouth.

"Valkyrie, lass, we need you in the hunting team!" yells a burly Islander.

Valkyrie closes her mouth abruptly.

"Coming, Den!"

She turns to the Berk teens with an apologetic face. "Sorry, I've got go. It's nice meeting all of you," her eyes land on Hiccup again, "Even if it's weird."

Well, doesn't he feel like a freak show. With that thought in Hiccup's mind, Valkyrie darts off to join a group of robust and lean Islanders. Standing by their side, she was like a pebble among boulders, and yet Valkyrie holds her chin high and back straight, as if she belongs there right from the start. The rest of the Islander seems to have no problem with that. Some grin at her and some plants a heavy hand on her shoulder.

Hiccup couldn't help but feel a little envious. Sure, people respect him now, or at least he hopes so, but that was only after he had defeated the Red Death. Before, everyone dubbed him as Hiccup the Useless; there was no respect, no pride, and no comradeship. Valkyrie, despite having the same face and stature, however, easily clutch those things in the palm of her hand. What's so different?

Hiccup shakes the musing off his head. There's no need for depressing thoughts, especially involving someone he just met. What's in the past is in the past. Hiccup had already learned to forgive and forget, so why bring up the past now?

"Well, we should get going too. Bye guys!" said Alfre as he departs for the ship, Freyja following next to him.

* * *

><p>Despite the eventful afternoon, not much happened afterwards. Currently, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins are lounging around the dragon arena, each bored out of their minds.<p>

"What did we do before the dragons?" Snotlout probes.

"Uh, kill them?" Ruffnut replies.

"Or each other." Astrid adds.

"Cool! Let's do that." Tuffnut exclaims, reaching for an axe. Ruff grins and grabs a hammer.

"Guys! We are not killing each other!" Hiccup hollers at the twins

"Can't we go visit the dragons? I bet Meatlug is lonely and hungry all by herself."

"Meatlug will be fine, Fishlegs. She's with the other dragons and there's a huge pond in the Cove, so there's plenty of fishes and rocks."

Snotlout's stomach grumbles.

"Speaking of fish, let's get some food already! I heard there's going to be a party in the Great Hall, and you know what a party has? Lots and lots of food."

Hiccup smiles.

"You know what, I think Snotlout has the right idea."

Astrid smirks. "For once."

Taking that as a compliment, Snotlout gloats.

"See? I have good ideas, I just don't share them."

Astrid just rolls her eyes.

* * *

><p>"...Is it Snoggletog already?" Snotlout asks.<p>

"No, you idiot. It's not even close to devastating winter yet." Astrid banters back, but she couldn't really blame him for the assumption.

"Ah, Snoggletog. I loved last year's Snoggletog." Tuffnut reminisces.

"Yeah. The vikings puking up Yaknogs." Ruffnut reminisces along.

"And the exploding eggs setting the village on fire."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut sighs dreamily. "It was beautiful."

Astrid hides her face behind her hands.

"Ugh! I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope." Hiccup replies, his automatic come back reflexes kicking in despite his star-struck state.

"Just perfect. But still, wow..."

Usually, the Great Hall was like any other building on Berk, albeit bigger. Today, it's...decked out, for lack of better words. Several lit up torches illuminate the building in a warm glow; decorative shields portraying dragons, Vikings, and gods embroider the walls, and on the tables rest a variety of food, from the common roast mutton to exotic salads of potatoes, chickens, and beets. The main eye catcher, however, is the music.

See, while the Berkians may be loud and festive (mostly the violent kind), there rarely exist music not from some Viking's off tune singing. Tonight, the front of the Great was converted into a stage for the Islander musicians. On the left, people are playing lyres and harps; on the right lines a variety of panpipes and flutes; and on the middle stood Freyja, a sapphire colored bone flute on her lips.

"Hiccup!" Alfre yells as he gestures for Hiccup and the gang to sit, "Come on, we've been waiting."

Across from him is Valkyrie, whom gives them a smile and a wave. On their table are platters of mutton, venison, pork, and lamb. Basically all meat. Wait, there is also a dish of Icelandic cod and salmon...which is also more meat than veggie.

"Oh, woah, that's, uh, a lot of meat." Hiccup points out hesitantly as he takes a seat next to Alfre, and Astrid next to him.

"I like meat." Alfre states almost threateningly.

"Yea, who doesn't like meat?! I'm in Valhalla!" Snotlout shouts with joy.

"You better be. I've been hunting game all day." Valkyrie complains. She then snatches a plate of steamed vegetables and a basket of bread from the next table. "But for those of you who like variety, here you go."

"Thanks." Hiccup said as he and Astrid grab a loaf of bread. Fishlegs forks a piece of fish into his mouth and Snotlout and the twins attack a platter of venison. Hiccup tears his loaf in half.

"Just asking, but what's with the big celebration and why is Freyja up there?" Hiccup points one half of his bread to the stage before taking a bite. Valkyrie smiles

"She's the best player in our whole village so of course she's going to be up there."

Alfre takes a bite from his mutton. "Also, this is our thanks for letting us stay here to stock up."

Hiccup gapes. "This is a thank you? You guys really went all out."

"And thanks to that. My muscles are all sore from the pulling and the running." Valkyrie bags. "At least there weren't any dragons...which is actually kind of odd."

Hiccup internally panics. Astrid, sensing the danger, decides to divert the conversation.

"Speaking of dragons, I heard that your tribe was raided out by them."

Now if only she could divert the conversation away from the topic of dragons itself. Alfre stops eating and Valkyrie scowls as she stabs her fork into the lamb meat.

"I swear, if I see one again, it's gonna leave with an arrow through its head!"

Alfre nods meekly, his eyes clouded in thought.

"It was horrible you know?" Alfre whispers, "We've had some battles with them, but they usually leave us alone if we leave them alone. One day though, they just suddenly...attacked. They burned the village to ashes."

"Burned? But I thought your village was raided?" Fishlegs questions.

Alfre and Valkyrie share nervous glances.

"Well, that's the nice way of putting it." said Valkyrie. Alfre sighs as he slumps back towards his seat.

"They didn't even take any food. They just-just, set the village on fire without warning."

Hiccup shakes his head with a frown on his face.

"No. No, that's not possible. Dragons don't do something like that without a reason. There must be something else going on. Maybe there's an alpha female controlling them...or something."

Valkyrie slams her hands on the table, creating a resounding bam that dissipated in the noise of the celebration, but is clear to every inhabitant in the table. She emits a growl towards Hiccup with rage in her eyes.

"Don't do something without a reason? Well, _those_ dragons did! You want an explanation? They're mindless killing machines that-"

It's now Hiccup's turn to slam his hands on the table, his glare meeting Valkyrie's with full force.

"You're wrong! They're not mindless killing machines, they're just misunderstood! Have you even tried to understand them?"

Something in Valkyrie's eyes waver before she averts her gaze to the floor. "...I knew someone who wanted to."

That, Hiccup didn't expect. He decides to pry, but Alfre cuts him off.

"Why do you even care about them so much anyway?"

Uh-oh. Why is he so bad at keeping secrets?!

"Because, uh, because-"

"What's going on here?"

Thank Freyja, literally. She couldn't have picked better time to show up.

"Nothing." Valkyrie states matter of factly. Everyone looks between Hiccup and Valkyrie worriedly, with the exception of Freyja who gives them a suspicious glance.

* * *

><p>The conversation eventually resumed, with Valkyrie and Hiccup not speaking much, especially not to each other, till the party died down and everybody started heading home.<p>

"See you tomorrow. Meet us at the same place for breakfast next morning?" Alfre asks with smile.

Hiccup returns the smile.

"Yeah, of course. See you guys tomorrow."

They two groups exchange waves of goodbyes as they go their separate ways. When they're some distance away, Alfre fixes Valkyrie with worried eyes.

"Um, is everything okay Valkyrie? I know you some issues with dragons, but it's not like you to lose your cool so easily."

Valkyrie, not in the mood to talk, simply shrugs him off.

"It's nothing. Forget about it, okay? Please?"

Alfre sighs. "Fine, but just so you know, I'm...I'm worried about you."

She gives him a genuine smile. "Thanks."

A scarlet blush blooms on Alfre's face. "I-I mean, F-Freyja is worried about you too, you know?"

Said girl rolls her eyes. "Idiot."

As the Islander teens disappear from view, the dragon riders decide to call it a night as well.

Fishlegs yawns. "Night everyone."

The teens depart one by one until there is only Hiccup and Astrid left. Hiccup gulps nervously.

"Well, goodnight Hiccup. I'll see you tomorrow."

Just as Astrid takes a step away, Hiccup calls out to her.

"Wait, Astrid!"

Startled, she stops in her tracks and turns around to face him. Hiccup scratches his scalp nervously.

"I...I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

Astrid raises a brow.

"What kind of favor?"

Hiccup takes in a deep breath and exhales. Is he really going through with this? Hopefully Astrid won't punch him. Hard.

"Canyoupleasewakemeuptomorrow?"

"What?"

Hiccup takes another breath.

"Can you, uh, wake me up, you know, tomorrow?"

Astrid's expression takes on a strange mixture of confused and amused.

"...Why?"

"I promised Toothless that'll I'll get him a large basket of fish early tomorrow."

"And what does that have to do with me waking you up?"

Hiccup switches from scratching his scalp to rubbing his nape.

"I'm not exactly what you would call an early riser."

"Huh? But don't you always take Toothless for a ride early in the morning everyday?"

"Yeah, his idea. Toothless is the one who wakes me up in the morning."

"..."

"..."

"Okay."

Hiccup gives her a surprised look. "You'll really do it?"

Astrid smiles. "Sure, why not? No harm done and I have to feed Stormfly anyway."

Hiccup grins. "Great! So, see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow!" Astrid shouts as she jogs away.

Stoick chooses that time to cross paths with Hiccup.

"Son, are you alright?"

Stoick gives a worried look at the humongous grin plastered on Hiccup's face. Today, he had to hide the dragons, met a doppelganger, got into a fight with said doppelganger, asked Astrid to wake him up, and she actually said yes. It's funny how one good event completely overshadows all the things that went wrong.

"I'm great, dad. Just great."

* * *

><p><strong>Review please with a cherry on top?<strong>


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